More and more areca nuts in Southern Sumatra, Indonesia are being exported to growing demand from overseas

Data from the local agricultural agencies in the Southern Sumatra region shows that around 80% of areca nuts production in Jambi regency is now allocated for export, compared to the previous two years where the allocation for export was just around 50-60% of the total production output. The farmers in this region stated that the shift has been mainly attributed to the decline in demand for areca nuts from domestic consumers while the demand has been increasing from consumers in India and Bangladesh. Aside from that, the change has also been driven by the preference of the farmers to sell their products overseas, as they can receive a higher price if sold abroad.